


Kagami Tsurugi and the Song of Miracles

by orphan_account



Series: Miraculous Singing series [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24605179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: AU. In this universe, Kwamis can be summoned by singing songs. However, only a chosen few humans have this power. When Kagami Tsurugi accidentally summons Longg, she is shocked. Then she sets out, as Protector of Paris, to find others with this ability.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: Miraculous Singing series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780255
Comments: 15
Kudos: 100





	1. And so it begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction for Miraculous! The idea was discussed and taken from the Miraculous Fanworks Discord. Much thanks to Khanofallorcs for beta reading!
> 
> The song 'Dragonhearted' Belongs to CaptainSparklez.

Paris. City of Love. Home to the Eiffel Tower. Yet, for all its beauty, for a certain blue-eyed, bluebell haired girl, it couldn’t have been darker. Many people called Paris their home, place of work, even business opportunity.

To sixteen-year-old Kagami Tsurugi, it was nothing more than a prison.

Oh, sure, her mother Tomoe might say it was a temporary residence, but they both knew that they couldn’t go back to Japan, for reasons she refused to tell her daughter. Kagami wanted so desperately to ask why, when, who, but she kept her questions restrained, for she knew that her mother didn’t tolerate them.. 

She shook her head, then turned her head back to the window of her room, to look outside the window, at the lights and sights. The sky was dark and starry, and she admired the constellations for a bit, picking out Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, Sirius and Orion. In a particularly soft moment, when Tomoe had not lost her sight, she’d taught Kagami all the constellations in Japan. Seemed like most of them carried over to Paris.

She sighed and shook her head. Tomorrow she had a big fencing competition. She knew she should be sleeping, but she couldn’t. It was her first competition here. Her mother had given her the folders and profiles of her opponents, and their fighting styles, so that she could counter them successfully. She’d looked them over a hundred times, and practiced the counters innumerable times, yet she was still nervous. She didn’t understand why, but she guessed it was because the terrain of fencing in France was still new to her.

She looked up at the roof of her room, heart pounding. She knew only one way of calming herself. She took a deep breath and started singing.

Lost but marching on  
Like we've always known the trail  
Searching for our ending to the fairy tale  
Her heart was pounding as she reached the pre-chorus, aware that her room was soundproofed at her own request.  
Sometimes even shooting stars  
Find wishes that miss their marks  
But when the night gets too dark  
And the road home seems too far

Here she closed her eyes and sang loudly.  
We'll see the sun come up again  
We will climb higher than we've been  
We got a fire that burns within  
We are the Dragonhearted  
We are the Dragonhearted  
Courage to stop a cannonball  
Together we stand thirty feet tall  
We got a fire that burns within  
We are the Dragonhearted  
We are the Dragonhearted  
We are the Dragonhearted  
Her eyes were tearing up as she poured all her fear and her nervousness into her voice, belting out the lyrics to her second favorite song out loud.  
Fearless we soar speeding arrows ricochet  
Break free our hearts burn brighter than yesterday  
And through the battles we wage  
When our shields fall away  
The armor cracks and breaks  
If ever our torches fade

We'll see the sun come up again  
We will climb higher than we've been  
We got a fire that burns within  
We are the Dragonhearted  
We are the Dragonhearted  
Courage to stop a cannonball  
Together we stand thirty feet tall  
We got a fire that burns within  
We are the Dragonhearted  
We are the Dragonhearted

Oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh  
We are the Dragonhearted  
Standing tall forever united  
We are the Dragonhearted  
We are the Dragonhearted  
Oh-oh oh  
We are the Dragonhearted  
Oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh  
Oh oh oh oh  
We are the Dragonhearted

As the last line left her lips, she realised her heart felt lighter, her face streaked with tears. She opened her eyes, feeling much more confident.  
‘I will win this competition,’ she said quietly. ‘I will not fail.’

At that moment, there was a blinding flash of golden and red light. She cried out in pain, shielding her eyes from the light. After five minutes of brightness, it dimmed. She peeked through her fingers, at a shocking sight.

Where there had been thin air moments ago there was now a small, reptilian creature, with spikes down its spine. 

It opened its mouth, and said: 

‘Well sung, Tsurugi Kagami-san.’ 

Only then did she realise that it was speaking in Japanese. In a shaky voice, she asked it, ‘Who are you?’ It smiled, then replied, ‘I am Longg, the Dragon Kwami.’

Upon hearing that, Kagami fainted.


	2. Its a Longg story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longg and Kagami have a nice chat, plus some background on the Kwamis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Credit to Khanofallorcs for betaing

When she came to, the creature, Longg was hovering above her, worried. Instantly she shot to her feet. She grabbed her fencing sword (she slept with it before matches) and held the creature at swordpoint. 

‘Talk. Now.’ she said, coldly. Longg raised an eyebrow, then phased through the sword. 

‘I can’t be hurt,’ it said matter-of-factly. She squeaked and backed away. ‘What are you?’ she asked, voice quivering, fear in her eyes. The creature sighed. ‘I just told you, I’m Longg, the Dragon Kwami.’

None of the words made sense to her. ‘What is a Kwami?’ Long’s eyes brightened, and it launched into a rant.

‘Long ago, some crystals, not of this planet, landed here and birthed us. A group of misfits found us and took care of us. In turn, we blessed them with powers, powers that would rid their world of evils. As a token of their gratitude, they created vessels for us - vessels they called the Miraculouses. Unfortunately, one of them stole a Miraculous and ran away. She wreaked havoc all over Earth. You may know her as Morrigan.’

‘Wait, Morrigan? The Irish Morrigan?’

‘Precisely, Tsurugi-san. Another user, whom you know as Merlin, defeated her. As time passed, the legends of their battle drifted apart, and eventually Merlin and Morrigan were regarded as separate figures with no connection. To keep this planet safe, we retreated to the high heavens. We left instructions to the remaining misfits - they called themselves the Guardians. We told them that if they sing songs that befit our existence, we will come to their aid. However, it seems that the Guardian lines have thinned. From what Kaalki-’

‘Who’s Kaalki?’

‘The Horse Kwami. He’s quite the tech genius. Anyway, as I was saying, Kaalki says that around one in a hundred million humans all over the world have the ability to call upon us. Fortunately, you seem to have summoned me! And such a beautiful singing voice too! I wonder what will become of you, Tsurugi-san.’

Kagami stayed silent for a while. Then she replied quietly, ‘This has to be a dream. This is quite the fantastical story. Now, wake up!’ She slapped herself. Longg, alarmed, approached her, but she backed away. ‘Wake up! Wake up!’

But even as she slapped herself, over and over, Kagami knew that this wasn’t a dream. For if it was, why would the slaps hurt so much?

Eventually, her hand grew heavy, and she dropped it. Her cheek was now an angry red. She turned, only to see Longg floating in mid air, sleeping. Or pretending to, since he cracked an eye open.

‘Are you finished with your freakout? Good, because I was about to make you go unconscious.’

‘Why is this happening?’ she asked in a tremulous voice. Longg sighed.

‘Didn’t you listen, Tsurugi-san? Only those with the power of the Guardians can summon Kwamis. The fact that you could summon me means that you are their descendant. Though I doubt that, if you don’t even know your heritage. Tomoe and I need to have a Longg chat.’ he winked. 

She groaned. ‘That was awful, Longg.’ He shrugged. 

‘I’m working on my puns right now. Plagg always says I need to improve.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Plagg’s the Black Cat Kwami. He has this horrible fascination with cheese.’ As he said that, a question struck her. 

‘How do you know all the modern day things?’ Longg sighed. 

‘Do you really think you’re the only one who has summoned me? At some point, all Kwamis are summoned to this planet. Whoever comes back after the death of the summoner, brings back news from the outside world. The Kwami shares the information and we all learn new things.’

‘Like a Hive Mind?’ 

Longg gave her an inscrutable look. ‘Not quite. We have a machine that takes knowledge. After a Kwami uploads information into it, each of us take turns and duplicate that information for ourselves.’

‘...what?’ Long sighed. ‘Never mind.’

Kagami stared at him for a while. ‘What was that about talking to my mother, Longg?’ Long sighed again. 

‘Your mother used to wield the Tiger Miraculous. The Kwami is Roaar.’

She looked out of the window, and saw that the sun was rising. Her eyes widened, too late, as her mother’s voice called up the stairs, ‘Kagami! Come down for breakfast!’ She spoke in English. It was so jarring, so different from the Japanese she was using to converse with Longg, that she couldn’t make sense of it for a minute. Then her brain kicked in and translated the words. Her heart beat faster, panic filling her heart. 

‘Longg, what do I do? I can’t tell mother about you, she’d get angry!’ Long held up a paw, and she calmed down immediately. 

‘Don’t worry. Just do as I instruct.’

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Kagami came down the stairs, completely calm. Tomoe turned around, as if sensing her daughter. 

‘What took you so long?’ she snapped. She tapped a chair with her cane. ‘Sit. Breakfast is on the table. Eat up. You have a big match today.’

‘Yes, mother,’ Kagami said respectfully, before sitting and quietly eating her standard breakfast. After she had finished she turned to her mother. ‘Mother, I have something to ask you.’

Tomoe turned. ‘What is it?’ she snapped. Kagami took deep breaths, then continued, ‘I … discovered something last night. Someone-someone wants to talk to you.’

Tomoe’s eyebrows rose up. ‘Well, who is it?’

Tomoe froze. She sensed a familiar energy. Her face went pale. 

‘No,’ she said hoarsely. ‘Not again.’

‘Hello, Tomoe,’ said the grave voice of Longg. ‘We have much to discuss.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do suggest me a song for Tikki. We're gonna do Marinette next.


	3. Snippity Snappity, someone's angry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of last chapter, and Kagami gets snappy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three! Much thanks to Khanofallorcs for beta-ing.

Tomoe sat back in her chair, and a hand came up to rub her forehead. 

‘So,’ she said, tiredly, ‘you summoned your first Kwami, huh, Kagami.’ She chuckled humorlessly. ‘I thought I could keep you away from your legacy. It seems that Fate is in play once again.’

‘Do not talk about the Powers Beyond so lightly, Golden Tigress,’ Longg interjected sharply. ‘They do not take such statements lightly.’ Tomoe moved her hand in a so-so motion.

‘I stopped caring about the Powers’ opinion when being the Golden Tigress cost me my eyes, Longg,’ she snapped back. Then she sighed. ‘Kagami, go sit in the car. Tatsu will take you to the tournament.’

‘But, mother-!’

‘Go!’ she snapped, whirling to Kagami. ‘You’ve done enough, summoning Longg. Now go be useful!’

Tears threatening to surface, Kagami nodded, then set off at a sedate pace, willing herself not to cry. She reached the car and got into it, closing the door. Moments later, the car started up and drove off. Her mother must have sent a text command to Tatsu from her phone. 

A few minutes later, she was in front of the venue for the tournament. She felt too drained to be nervous, but she was resigned. ‘I guess I’ll have to win this tournament,’ she thought glumly. She got out of the car, then smacked her forehead. She’d forgotten her equipment. Then Tatsu said ‘You have a message from: Tomoe Tsurugi.’ She clicked on the screen, and an audio file of Tomoe played: ‘Kagami, the equipment is in the back of the car,’ the voice said curtly. ‘Win this match and be useful. And if you lose, you know what your punishment is going to be.’ The audio cut off, and she sighed as she took the equipment. She went into the arena, to win this thing: whether she liked it or not, she’d have to confront Longg and her mother when she got back home.

She entered into the arena moments later, all suited up. The announcer said something about her opponent, one Adrien Agreste. She didn’t pay attention. She had already looked at Agreste’s profile. Apparently he was the heir of a multinational fashion empire, the son of Gabriel Agreste, one of her mother’s coworkers. The boy had quite a busy schedule, so his fencing skills were weak. She smirked to herself under the helmet. This was going to be an easy win.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was not an easy win.

Despite his wiry, thin frame, Agreste proved to be a good opponent. He was nimble, and almost got her a couple of times. But in the end, her higher experience paid off, and she took the match - barely. 

Afterwards, she met up with him, told him it was a good match and he had played it well. He seemed pleased with that, but was distracted when a burly, bulky man came in and handed him a phone. He had glanced at the phone, sighed as if resigned, then headed off. She caught a glimpse of the phone, and noticed the words ‘modeling’ and ‘photoshoot’ before the man turned away and followed Agreste outside.

Sighing, she went into the arena for the other matches of the day.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The other matches were uneventful, and she clinched the gold trophy and cash prize easily. The matches were almost too easy, and she considered going easy on the opponents, but she thought better of it. Better to raise her overall margin than have fun, she supposed.

She sighed as she got into the car. Almost immediately, Tatsu started the car and they began driving. A call came from her mother. She picked up.

‘Kagami,’ her mother’s terse voice said. ‘Did you win?’ 

Yep, that’s mother, Kagami thought, always caring more about the wins. 

‘Yes, mother. I have the gold trophy and the cash prize,’ she replied in a flat, neutral tone. She had long since stopped finding enjoyment in fencing, it being the only source of income for the house, other than her mother’s work.

‘Good.’ Tomoe’s words held no praise for her, as expected. As usual, Kagami expected to feel a pang of disappointment, but she felt nothing but resignation. ‘When you come home, I expect you to start training for the next set of tournaments.’ A long, gusty sigh came through the call, then Tomoe continued in a softer tone, ‘We will discuss the … other matters when you come home.’

Kagami was taken aback. Her mother almost never talked to her softly. Not after...that day. She hesitated, then cut the call. She sat back in her seat, dragging a hand over her face. Her patience was wearing thin. She could not understand why her mother was being so … maternal. It seemed wrong, hearing Tomoe Tsurugi speak in a soft voice. This was going to be a hard talk, especially since she was slowly working herself up.

Minutes later, the car stopped outside their house, and Kagami stepped outside the ruby-red vehicle. She proceeded inside, and stopped at the sight of her mother standing there. As if sensing her daughter, Tomoe sighed and said, ‘I … apologise for my behaviour, Kagami. I-’

‘You’ve done enough, mother,’ snapped an irate Kagami. Tomoe’s face tightened. 

‘Watch your tone, girl. I’m still your mother. I won’t make concessions for you just because you happened to stumble upon your heritage,’ she said sharply, her expression hardening.  
Kagami merely snorted and headed to her room, knowing that Tomoe had been about to send her there. She reached the room and paused as she saw Longg on her bed, munching on some peppers. He noticed her then said, ‘What? I like spiciness.’ She said nothing, just sat on a chair and put her face in her hands. Concerned, Longg drifted closer, but she held up a hand. ‘Don’t, Longg. I’m not in the mood.’ He nodded hesitantly, then floated back to the bed. He rummaged in a basket and brought out two fat peppers, and began munching away. 

An hour later, she heard a knock on the door. She got up and opened it, and was surprised to see Tomoe. Tomoe looked uncomfortable, then said, ‘Come down. We need to talk.’ then turned around and strolled away. Kagami sighed as she obliged.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The house the Tsurugis lived in was called Tsurugi Avenue. The fact that the house was even named proved to Kagami that they were here to stay. Tsurugi Avenue was completely solar powered and blind-friendly. Her mother’s cane had many buttons, some of which helped in navigating the house. All staircases in the house had been replaced with escalators - they were very well off, after all - and Tatsu was also installed in the house. When Kagami took the escalator down to the dining room, she noticed that her mother was sitting in the lounge. Hesitantly she made her way there and sat in the seat farthest from her mother.

The seats of the lounge were arranged in a circle, so the only farthest point from her mother was diametrically opposite to her. Kagami sat there, and Tomoe sighed. 

‘Is Longg here?’ she asked in a tired tone. Kagami shook her head, but saw the Longg had followed her down, curious. ‘He is here, mother.’ Tomoe sighed again. ‘Well, let me start with a warning.’

‘You may think that having powers is amazing, extraordinary, powerful.’ For a moment, Tomoe seemed hungry for power. Then the wonder leeched out of her face. ‘But the power is addictive. It can ruin you, change you. And sometimes, the Kwami helps.’

‘Let’s start at the beginning: long ago, when I was still a young maiden, innocent to the ways of the world, I sang and summoned Roaar to me. She told me about the history and about Kwamis, as Longg must have told you. I was excited, and immediately took her out for a run. This was, of course, when I was still in Japan, and I still had my eyes. I would speak some words, and I would become Golden Tigress, or Gōruden abazure on'na, Goruden for short.’ She smiled, and she seemed younger. ‘I would patrol the streets of Tokyo at night, seeking out criminals and administering ‘the Justice of the Tigress’s Claws’. That used to be my punchline.’ Then the smile faded. ‘Then Kibou happened.’

‘Kibou?’ Kagami questioned. What would hope have to do with this, she wondered. 

Tomoe’s face tightened. ‘Kibou, the wielder of the Ox. She was my prime opponent, and kept causing disasters in the name of hope.’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘I still cannot believe that I used to follow her. She was a ferocious warrior, and she was the one who took my sight,’ she said, gesturing to her glasses. Kagami nodded. 

‘After she took my sight from me, I had to use a Tigress’s most keen sense - smell - to destroy her and to take her Kwami. Then I freed Roaar and Stompp and swore that I wouldn’t go back to that world. But it seems like Fate has meddled with my decision, yet again. Oh, how I wish Time would allow me to go back all those years ago, and stop myself from summoning Roaar, but the past is the past.’

Longg had flinched every time Tomoe mentioned a Power Beyond, and now, incensed, he snapped, ‘I thought Roaar taught you better, girl.’ Tomoe’s mouth thinned. 

‘I am a grown woman!’ she snapped.

‘To me you are but an infant! I am much older, much more powerful than you, so you best keep your tone down, girl,’ Longg countered. Cowed, Tomoe fell silent.

‘So, what now?’ Kagami asked Longg after a tense silence. He looked at her.

‘We find the others, of course. I only let you summon me because a threat was on the horizon, greater and more terrible than Morrigan, Kibou, or any other villain you can think of.’ Tomoe paled. ‘What do I do, Longg?’ she asked, and Longg replied, ‘You will train your daughter, and once you pronounce her fully trained, I will let her wield me. In the meantime, I will take a small cupboard, thank you very much.’

With that, Longg sped out of the room.


	4. The REAL Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This, is where the fun begins. Buckle up for a long chappie, friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to Khanofallorcs for beta-ing

The next few weeks at home were hellish.

Her mother insisted on training her personally, and even arranged some home tutors for longsword wielding and katana wielding. Tomoe said that she had worked alongside a Dragon holder once before, so she knew that Kagami’s weapon was most likely going to be a long sword like weapon. On the off chance that it was something else, like a whip, she said that after her sword training was done, her whip training would start.

Kagami thought that it had been a mistake to summon Longg at all but she found it so endearing when he curled up on old yen notes her mother preserved, or sometimes nicked shiny things to add to his ‘secret hoard’ - both she and her mother knew about it, and they deliberately left out shiny things for him.

One day, they ran out of pepper and Longg went ballistic. He started ranting in some other language that neither Kagami nor Tomoe understood, but Tomoe seemed familiar with it. 

‘It’s the Kibinobo, the Language of Kwamis,’ she explained. ‘Apparently, Kwamis have their own culture and language.’ She snorted. ‘You would think that they would adopt our culture, but Kwamis are very traditional. Even while Roaar was with me, she considered my fiddling with my tail very scandalous.’

But even though she was training, her mother had not let up in the fencing department. She still went to tournaments, still had to train in fencing. At this point, her daily schedule had become ‘wake up, wash your face, go out for a run, train in fencing, train in swordsmanship, train in katana wielding, train in whip usage, train in fencing, go to tournament if scheduled, otherwise katana training, have dinner, sleep’. Although her vigorous schedule rarely allowed for rest, she endured, knowing that it was her duty as the heir of the Tsurugis, descendant of the Tsu-Tanos, Ancient Guardians of Japan.

After months and months of vigorous training, Tomoe and her Senseis announced her training complete. She simply nodded and bowed, before going off to her fencing tournament.

The tournaments were almost embarrassingly easy. She trounced her opponents and won the gold trophy. Her mother was uncaring as ever, until she won the diamond trophy in a championship. Even then, she allowed just the barest trace of a compliment to Kagami, and she always felt frustrated that she seemed to care so little, until Longg quietly told her that Roaar had one day gone missing, and from the day she got Roaar back, she had not allowed herself to show any emotions. While that story was sad, and made her a spot more sympathetic to her mother, she still didn’t feel any gratitude towards her mother. Maybe she was just a bad daughter, but she couldn't bring herself to care about her mother.

Finally, finally, Longg agreed to let her wield him. She showed her excitement by hugging the little creature long and hard, careful to avoid his spikes, and promising to feed him at least twenty baskets of peppers. He simply shook his head and phased through her fierce hug. 

‘Alright, alright, don’t be so excited, little girl. First, there are some rules.’

At the mention of the word rules, Kagami became serious. ‘What are they?’

‘Rule one: Never use your Miraculous for your own selfish purposes. Being a protector is a very serious job, but some people let the power go to their heads and use it to their advantage. When you’re using my power to transform, my form transmutes into the suit and gives you the powers. I will not be aware of whatever is happening, but if I get wind that you have been using the Miraculous for your selfish purpose, I will leave you and find a worthier wielder.’

‘Rule two: Never use your Miraculous to cause harm to someone else, other than a wrongdoer.. There will be moments where you will feel upset and want to hurt someone out of a feeling of misplaced anger. Never do that. You will regret it, I’m positive.’

‘Rule three: Never tell a normal person about the Miraculous. The Miraculous are artifacts, the secrets of which are to be kept among the Guardians. If word gets out that such powerful weapons exist, there might be dire consequences.’

‘Rule four: Never talk about the Powers Beyond as casually as if they were your friends. The Powers Beyond - Time, Space, Fate/Destiny, Death, Life, and most of all, Love - they are not your next door neighbors. Never talk about them like your foolish mother does.’

‘Those are the main rules. Other than that, usually heroes make their own personal principles like no killing, no bantering, no falling in love. But that’s your choice.’

He sighed. ‘Now onto the final leg: how to use your Miraculous. Now, whenever you have the Miraculous on, you will have a main weapon and a main power. That is the standard for all heroes, but in your case, the weapon can either be a tail that can be used as either a whip, a katana, or a longsword. Your power is that of shifting forms. You can become either Lightning, Water, or Wind.’

‘Like Ikari Gozen? ‘As elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, as swift as lightning’?’ Longg smirked.

‘Where did you think that description came from? Ikari Gozen used to wield me, after all.’ he said smugly. ‘Now, since you are a child, after you use all three powers, you will have five minutes until you detransform. To transform, you say ‘Longg, Bring the Storm’. To detransform, you say ‘Clear sky’. Got it?’ She nodded.

‘Now, I will manifest the jewel. What jewel would you prefer?’

She thought long and hard about it, then replied, ‘A necklace would do fine.’ Longg nodded, then closed his eyes. He muttered something in the Kwami language, then there was a bright light as a necklace manifested. He caught it and handed it to her. She immediately put it on. Longg’s form sharpened considerably, and his features seemed even more draconic. He sighed. ‘I forgot to tell you, but us Kwamis are as dependent on you humans as you are on us. Until a Guardian puts on our Miraculous, we can do little except eat, sleep and phase through objects.’ He brought up a paw and electricity crackled through it. A breeze blew and the air felt more humid. Longg smiled. ‘Now, if I wish, I could be the hero myself! Unfortunately, that’s not why I’m here.’ He smiled, fangs showing. ‘Transform, girl.’

She nodded, then said, ‘Longg, Bring the Storm!’

And there was a flash of light, a sound of rushing wind, crashing waves, crackling thunder: a sensation, phenomenon, like her entire body had opened up; like every pore of her body was open, and she had discovered a new sense: Magic. It rushed through her body, the source being the point where the pendant touched her skin. She felt her clothes transforming, a mask coming over her face, a feeling of joy and excitement, like she had extra energy to burn; a feeling as if she could do anything, be anyone, and no one would know.

And then she opened her eyes. Slowly, she turned around to admire her form in the full length mirror on her closet.

In short, her form was beautiful.

She was wearing a red suit, form fitting, with black designs going up and down it, like thorny vines, or a dragon’s tail. Her face was mostly covered by a mask, with some part of the mask coming down to her cheekbones, yellow in color, almost making her mask look like the superior part of a dragon’s skull. Her thin arms were covered by the red suit, and so were her hands. Her legs were similarly red, but one had a vine-like tail design curling around it. One of the vines on her chest curled around a black circle, which contained three symbols: a blue water droplet, a yellow lightning bolt, and a lighter blue wind puff.

As she turned this way and that, she realised that her body was more feminine than she noticed. Usually, she never paid attention to her own body, except for the monthly regimen that all teenage girls have to experience, but she had never realised how ladylike she looked. As she admired her body, she blushed as she realised that she liked how she looked. She hadn’t really paid attention to her looks, but now that she did, she had to admit that red and black were good colors for her.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to be behaving her age. She took a deep breath and got out of her room. Tomoe was down in her room and she decided to tell her. She took another deep breath and knocked on the door. It opened on its own, and Tomow got up. She stopped, as if tasting the air.

‘You have transformed, haven’t you,’ she said, not quite asking. Kagami hesitated, then said, ‘Yes.’

Tomoe sighed. ‘I wish I could see you,’ she said, tone oddly wistful. ‘What would you name yourself? You can’t go around calling yourself Kagami as a hero, can you?’

Kagami snorted. ‘Of course not. I was thinking … would Ryuko work?’

Tomoe’s lips turned up. ‘Yes, Ryuko works.’ She got up. ‘Destransform for now. You can go on a test patrol tonight. I’ll let you take evenings off.’ Her tone turned severe. ‘I’m changing your schedule so that you can sleep in. One hour extra.’

Internally groaning, Ryuko said, ‘Yes, mother.’

She spoke, ‘Clear Sky.’ And in a flash of light, she detransformed into Kagami Tsurugi again. Longg popped into existence. He contentedly stretched. ‘Aaaaah, nothing like a transformation to stretch my body.’ He flew around a bit, then settled on Kagami’s shoulder. He sighed, as if getting ready to speak a lot.

‘Alright, so I’m caught up on the ancient Guardian Families, thanks to Kaalki. There is one family in each region, and thankfully, you humans have divided the land up in such a way that each of your countries has at least one family. For example, the Lhaos in the Nepalese region, the Kibaris spread across the African continent, and the Zhangs in China. We’ll have to visit the library to trace their family trees.’ Kagami nodded. ‘How about we get started now? Mother, you can come with us. I’m sure you know Guardian history.’

Tomoe’s smile dropped. ‘I left the world of the Miraculous years ago, Kagami,’ she sighed. ‘I won’t return.’ Kagami nodded. ‘I respect your decision.’

Tomoe opened her phone, then spoke, ‘Tatsu, prepare the car. Destination: Public Library.’ She turned her face upwards. ‘Go to the library. Be sure to trace the most probable lines.’

Kagami nodded, then strolled outside to the ruby red car, Longg on her shoulder.

‘This isn’t going to be easy,’ she sighed as she got in the car. Longg nodded.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had been right. It was not easy.

Sure, the library had a Genealogy section, but it barely detailed any family lines other than European, Chinese, and Japanese. The South Asian parts, like India, Indonesia and Myanmar were mentioned, but the African, Australian and American lines were barely there. She resolved to go on a world tour to get more information.

She had taken a private reading room, courtesy of her credit card (yes, her mother did trust her with a credit card) and settled with Longg for a day of reading. She found out that she was related to two hundred different families, half of which she didn’t know or didn’t care about. The other half were families she knew, but didn’t like.

‘Okay, so according to you, the Zhaos and Zhangs from China have at least one descendant in this city, because they gave rise to the Zhans, who gave rise to the Chans, who ultimately gave rise to the Chengs. And the most recent one we know about was one Tamito Cheng, who lived in Paris. We’ll have to dig deeper to see if there is a Guardian of my age. Then, we also have the Carlis in Italy, who have a branch that is the Grahams, who married into the Vanilys, giving rise to the Graham de Vanilys. There aren’t any records of the Graham de Vanilys in Paris, or anywhere other than Italy, but they are possible candidates.’

After hours of researching, she had finally pinned down some families to be investigated: the Bruels, from Germany, the Chengs from China, the Graham de Vanilys, from Italy, the Zissaros and Cissaros from Spain, the Latifas from Morocco, the Haprèles from France, the Kurtzbergs from Germany, the Bourgeois family, the Raincomprix family and the Couffaines, drifters. There were about a hundred more, but if she sat down to list them, it would take the entire night. She sighed, then gathered the five page long list, then walked out, thanking the librarian on the way. She got in the car, and Tatsu drove the car home.

When she reached, she got out and got into the house, lugging the list inside. She got in the house, and sat in the parlour, where Tomoe was drinking tea. 

‘Long day?’ Tomoe asked conversationally. Kagami groaned. 

‘Don’t even start. I have a ton of families to investigate. And the info has got to be outdated. Could you somehow get me the results of the last census? I need to corroborate it with the list.’

Tomoe’s face looked odd. ‘You do know that Paris keeps its census record copies in the library, right?’

Kagami looked at her mother blankly then got up and went to her room.

Moments later, muffled screaming could be heard. Tomoe sipped her tea, the corners of her lips turned up slightly.


	5. Foolish boys and Cute girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter hasn't been beta'ed.

The next day, Kagami went to the library again, and searched for the census results. Of course, she found them, and she felt very foolish. Using the family list she had she narrowed all possible candidates to quite a lot of children.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste, Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahiffe, Ivan Bruel, Luka and Juleka Couffaine, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Mylene Haprele, Chloe Bourgeios, Sabrina Raincomprix, plus Marc Anciel, Max Kante, Alix Kubdel and Le Chien Kim. Almost enough to fill a class. Kagami wondered if Fate had specifically chosen this point of time to let Longg come to her. It seemed too convenient.

However, Longg seemed troubled by the name Agreste.

‘The Agrestes have had a long history of villainy,’ he explained. ‘The founder, Phineas Agreste, was the wielder of the Horse Miraculous, and he caused many pains to those around him. His descendant Lazarus Agreste was the holder of the Bee, and his words stung harder than his actions. Another descendant, Azrael Agreste, another descendant, held the Snake.’ He shuddered. ‘Defeating him was most difficult. The most recent one, a woman by the name of Fleur Agreste, used to hold the Fox. Her lies and seductive grace fell many families before she was stopped. Even after her imprisonment, her so-called ‘lovers’ wreaked havoc. After her death, in their grief, they murdered an entire country out of existence.’ He took a deep breath. ‘A common theme seems to be love. Phineas destroyed his hometown because they lynched his first wife. Lazarus killed for his sister, who was killed by an accident. Azrael wished to turn back time to get his mother back. Fleur … well, Fleur wanted her brother back.’ He sighed.

‘Be wary of Adrien. He is the result of a union between two Guardian families. There’s no telling how powerful he might be. And be sure to keep an eye on his father. If Emiie Agreste nee Graham de Vanily is really dead, Gabriel could go to any lengths to bring her back. The worst part is, his son might assist.’

Kagami’s mouth was dry. ‘It seems as if the Agrestes were much trouble. But Longg, should we really judge Gabriel on the basis of his ancestors? Adrien, too? I know him. He has been a frequent opponent in fencing. He always seems burdened, but never shows it. Its quite possible that Adrien might be a hero. And maybe Gabriel has moved on.’

Longg sighed. ‘For your sake, I will give them the benefit of the doubt. However, do keep an eye on him, the child especially.’ She nodded.

Kagami looked at the clock. She suddenly realised that she hadn’t gone on patrol yet. Sighing she was about to transform, when there was a knock on the door. Frowning, she opened it.

‘Mother!’ she exclaimed. Tomoe smiled. ‘May I come in, Kagami?’ She nodded frantically, then stepped to the side. Tomoe tilted her head. ‘Greetings Longg.’ He nodded back too busy munching on peppers to reply. 

‘What did you want to talk about, mother?’ Kagami asked. Tomoe hesitated, and Kagami was wary. Tomoe was never hesitant. If she was so now, it meant that she was making a hard decision.

‘Kagami, I have decided to … let you go to school.’ bit out Tomoe.

Kagami stared blankly at Tomoe, who irritably snapped, ‘Stop staring at me, I can feel it.’

‘Sorry,’ sniped Kagami. ‘Trying to remember the last time you cared for my education.’

Tomoe’s cheek twitched. ‘The school is named Francoise Dupont,’ she gritted out. ‘School starts tomorrow.’ She turned and walked out, but smacked her forehead on the doorway. Grunting, she backed up, then rushed out the room.

The next day, she headed down with a bag. Supplies had been purchased after Tomoe ha made the announcement, and Kagami was nervous about her first day in public school. She had been homeschooled her entire life, and was also excited to meet new people. She didn’t understand why she was eager to be social. Longg explained that once a Guardian bonds with their Kwami, both of them took and gave each other characteristics. Since Dragons were social animals, Kagami would act less cold. Meanwhile, Longg would strategise more, since he took from Kagami her ability to make cool deductions, while not being influenced by emotion.

She got into the car, and Tatsu drove off. The building was very far away, so they head to drive there. Tomoe was accompanying her, but she sat there in silence. 

When they drew near, Tomoe said quietly, ‘Have fun, Kagami. I hope you have a nice day’ 

Kagami swallowed, then nodded and got out. A tall boy looked at her, then his eyes roved towards her mother, who had looked awy and was now driving away in the car.

‘Wow, your mom looks so cool in those sunglasses!’ the boy exclaimed. Kagami was starting to smile, but the expression dropped when the boy spoke.

‘I don’t know about cool. She is in need of them,’ she said coolly.

‘Oh? Why? Does she have conjunctivitis? I remember when I got that, it hurt to look at everything-’

‘My mother,’ Kagami said coldly, ‘is blind.’

The boy blinked, then his brain must have started working, because his eyes widened, and he held up his hands. ‘Whoa, sorry for saying that.’ He scratched the back of his head. ‘Uh, my name is Le Chien Kim. Nice to meet you. I’m new to this school.’

‘Kagami Tsurugi,’ she replied coldly. His eyes widened again.

‘Kagami Tsurugi? The Kagami Tsurugi? Oh, my mom’s a fan of you! She loves how you fence.’ Kagami regarded Kim coolly. Inside her mind, her gears were spinning. So this was Le Chien Kim. Quite unremarkable for a Guardian heir. Finally, she ignored him and strode in.

Francoise Dupont was quite large for a school. She noticed a man with bushy eyebrows near the entrance, and walked to him.

‘Excuse me, sir, could you direct me to the Headmaster of this school?’ she enquired respectfully. The man’s eyebrows shot up.

‘Why, miss, you must be in luck! I am the Headmaster of this illustrious school. My name is Horatio Damocles. Pleased to meet you…?’

‘Tsurugi, sir. Kagami Tsurugi.’

‘Oh, pleased to meet you, Miss Tsurugi! Your mother talked to me yesterday. How is she?’

‘She is well,’ she replied warmly. The man’s blustering attitude was too much, but she could see that he meant good. ‘Could you assist me to my classroom? If it is not much trouble.’

‘Of course, of course! Anything to help a new student!’ Damocles took out his phone. He dialed in a number, then began conversing with someone named Caline. Minutes later, a tall, auburn haired woman in a white suited walked to them, a smile on her face. It was infectious, and Kagami began smiling too. 

‘Hello, Kagami!’ the woman chirped. ‘From today, I will be your homeroom teacher. My name is Caline Bustier, but you may call me Miss Bustier.’ She smiled warmly and held out a hand. Kagami immediately shook it. ‘It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bustier.’ ‘Likewise, dear. Now, follow me. You’re quite early, so the class is relatively empty.’

Miss Bustier turned and walked away. Thanking Mr Damocles, she followed Miss Bustier up the stairs. The teacher took her to the classroom. On the way, they made idle conversation. As they entered the classroom, Kagami paused.

Kim was talking to a pink haired girl. She internally groaned. This was going to be a hard year.

Slowly, students began to trickle in. Ms Bustier had assigned Kagami a seat next to a dark skinned boy with glasses. He had introduced himself as Max Kante.She had introduced herself to him too. 

Max was a tech whiz, and soon had started a conversation on different codes and programs that may help the visually impaired. She was impressed at Max’s ingenuity. Apparently, he had designed that AutoStairs that helped the visually impaired use escalators. Those were installed in every corner of Tsurugi Avenue. She invited him over to her house, but he respectfully declined.

‘With all due respect, Kagami, I’m not much of a social person. I like to spend my evenings doing homework, running calculations for all probabilities, and working on projects. Currently I’m working on a small device with an AI programmed in it, that can act as a helper.’ Kagami nodded. Then, there was a commotion, and she looked forward.

A bluebell haired girl was raging at a blonde boy, who looked bemused, while a blonde girl with too much makeup stood haughtily in the background. 

‘I guess you’re just like Chloe,’ the bluebell haired girl said angrily. Then she turned and spread a white napkin over something on her seat, and sat beside it.

When Ms Bustier took the attendance, she was surprised to note that all of the kids she had resolved to find were in this class. She was really suspicious now. Fate seemed to be favoring her, and that didn’t seem to be a good thing.

She learned that the bluebell haired girl was Marinette, the blond boy was Adrien Agreste, and the blonde girl was Chloe Bourgeios. The black haired, red tipped girl next to Marinette was Alya Cesaire, and the brown skinned boy next to Adrien was Nino Lahiffe. Sabrina Raincomprix seemed to be Chloe’s personal assistant, and Alix Kubdel was the pink haired girl Kim was talking to earlier.

When class ended, Kagami approached Marinette with a smile. ‘Hello, Marinette. I’m Kagami Tsurugi. Nice to meet you.’

Marinette turned to Kagami, and she was struck speechless.

Marinette had stunning blue eyes. Kagami felt like she could drown in them and a light blush spread across her face when she noticed Marinette’s diminutive figure.

She’d always liked short people. Little Kagami had always been fascinated by her mother’s blue eyed colleagues, and even now, grown up Kagami loved blue eyes. Combined with her diminutive figure Marinette was like Kagami’s dream girl.

‘Hi!’ piped up Marinette. ‘Nice to meet you, Kagami!’

‘N-nice to meet you t-too,’ Kagami stammered, blushing. Her heart fluttered when Marinette gave her a smile.

What is this feeling? she thought. It made her heart flutter and jump when Marinette smiled. She didn’t want this feeling to go away.

‘So, Kagami, how are you?’ She smiled shyly, and Kagami’s heart skipped a beat.

‘I am well, Marinette,’ she said warmly. ‘Can we be friends?’

Marinette’s face lit up. ‘Of course, of course! But for now, we should hurry to the next class. I’ve heard that Ms Mendeleiv punishes latecomers.’ She shuddered.

‘Lets go, then,’ Kagami said and they hurried on.


	6. Stoneheart - I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new addition, plus the first appearance of an Akuma! Dedicated to the Miraculous Fanworks Discord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Khanofallorcs for beta-ing. Dedicated to the Miraculous Fanworks Discord.

Ms Mendeleiev was a stern, severe woman. Her hair and chin were pointed, and she seemed to snap at everyone. But while teaching, her methods were efficient in instructing her students. She interspersed her lectures with opportunities to showcase talent. After class was over, she approached the tall woman.

‘Ms Mendeleiev,’ she said respectfully. ‘I would like to enquire something.’ The woman gave her a look, then said, ‘Spit it out.’

‘Well, I was thinking of entering the upcoming Science by the Seine fair. I have ideas for a project.’ The woman’s expression softened a smidge, then she said, ‘Give me your mother’s number and yours, Ms Tsurugi. We can discuss this later.’

Kagami obliged, then went to her next class.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the rest of the day, Kagami paid attention in her classes, took notes, and made friends. She met with Adrien later on and told him how much of a pleasure it was to be in the same class as a master fencer. Where other boys would have bragged, Adrien blushed. He prattled on excitedly about how he was excited to be in public school, and how he had begged his father so many times. From what he said and what she deduced Gabriel was a horrible father, but Adrien kept making excuses for him. Classic case of Stockholm Syndrome, Kagami thought.

Soon, it was lunch break, and Kagami was getting ready to eat lunch, when the nearby TV turned to the news. A reporter said something about a stone monster and her eyes widened. She dashed into a bathroom and brought out Longg.

‘Longg, that stone monster - it’s an Akuma, isn’t it?’

Akumas were monsters created by purple butterflies. They were created by a Butterfly user. Longg grimaced. ‘Someone must have summoned Nooroo to them. A Guardian, to be sure. But all the children have been here, so it can only be a parent.’

‘So that means it’s either the parents of the students here, or some other adult,’ concluded Kagami. Longg nodded grimly.

‘Well, how do I defeat it?’

Longg sighed again. ‘For that, you need the Ladybug Miraculous. Only that one can purify the akuma. Do you have anyone in mind?’ Kagami hesitated, then nodded. ‘Good. Give them the instructions.’

Kagami sprinted outside and collided with Marinette. They tumbled to the ground.

‘Ow,’ Marinette squeaked. ‘Oh hey Kagami, I was coming to get you. The monster is attacking the nearby neighborhood. I already talked to your mom, and she says it’s fine, you can stay with me until the danger is passed. Oh, and she also said something like ‘Tell her that it’s time.’’

Kagami swallowed. ‘Marinette, follow me.’

‘Wha-’ She was pulled by Kagami out of the school and in a dark alley. Kagami looked into Marinette’s eyes. ‘I know we barely know each other, but please, trust me on this.’ Marinette’s blue eyes shone, and she slowly nodded. Kagami sighed.

‘Here’s the short story: you come from a long line of Guardians who protect the world from threats.’ Marinette’s eyes widened. ‘Whaaaaaaaat?’

Kagami sighed. It was going to be a long time.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Half an hour later, Kagami was out of breath, Marinette’s face was pale, and Longg was idly munching on chocolates shaped like coins.

‘Let me get this straight,’ she started in a tremulous voice. ‘Me, clumsy, idiotic, foolish me, is a descendant of a super powerful person who protected the world. And now that this - this Akuma is here, I have to defeat it.’ Her knees buckled and she almost fell, but Kagami deftly caught her.

‘Marinette, it’s nothing to worry about. You just need to sing and summon the Ladybug Kwami.’

‘Her name’s Tikki, and she loves sweet things,’ drawled Longg, and he immediately shut up when Kagami threw him a venomous look. 

Marinette took a shaky breath. ‘Okay I-I’ll sing. But I swear if this is a prank, I’ll never forgive you, Kagami.’

Then Marinette took a deep breath and sang:

You spoke a word and life began  
Told oceans where to start and where to end  
You set in motion time and space  
But still You come and You call to me by name  
But still You come and You call to me by name

If You can hold the stars in place  
You can hold my heart the same  
Whenever I fall away  
Whenever I start to break

So here I am, lifting up my heart  
To the one who holds the stars  
The deepest depths, the darkest nights  
Can't separate, can't keep me from Your sight  
I get so lost, forget my way  
But still You love and You don't forget my name

If You can hold the stars in place  
You can hold my heart the same  
Whenever I fall away  
Whenever I start to break  
So here I am, lifting up my heart

If You can calm the raging sea  
You can calm the storm in me  
You're never too far away  
You never show up too late  
So here I am, lifting up my heart  
To the one who holds the stars

Your love has called my name  
What do I have to fear?  
What do I have to fear?

Your love has called my name  
What do I have to fear?  
What do I have to fear?

If You can hold the stars in place  
You can hold my heart the same  
Whenever I fall away  
Whenever I start to break  
So here I am, lifting up my heart (lifting up my heart)

If You can calm the raging sea  
You can calm the storm in me  
You're never too far away  
You never show up too late  
So here I am, lifting up my heart  
To the one who holds the stars

You're the one who holds the stars

Kagami’s heart pounded as Marinette finished the song. She wiped away a tear, then glared at Kagami. ‘Well? Where’s this Kwami?’

‘Oh, that was beautifully sung, my dear!’

There was a pink flash of light and a small red creature much like Longg was floating there. Except, it was red all over, and it had a big black spot on its head. 

Marinette screamed and backed into Kagami. She held Marinette. Even through her clothes, Kagami could feel her heart beating wildly. ‘Shhh,’ she soothed Marinette like a frazzled cat. She began to pet her hair, and Marinette seemed to calm. Then she turned her big blue, beautiful eyes on Kagami. ‘It was true, then?’ Kagami merely nodded.

Marinette warily got up. ‘H-hello there. I’m Marinette.’

The little creature beamed. ‘I am Tikki, the Ladybug Kwami! Let me fill you in on a few things!’

Then the creature explained the powers of the Ladybug, while Marinette, fascinated, listened. Tikki gave Marinette studs, which she immediately put on.

‘So I just have to say those words to transform?’ Tikki nodded.

Kagami grinned. ‘On the count of three. One, Two, Three! Longg, Bring the Storm!’

‘Tikki, Spots On!’

With a flash of red light, Ryuko stood where Kagami was. And in place of Marinette, stood a woman.

She was in a red suit, form fitting. It had black spots all over. Marinette’s mask covered her eyes and cheeks, and her hair was in pigtails with red ribbons. A yo-yo was on her waist. Marinette admired herself, then looked at Kagami. Her eyes widened, and a steady blush spread across her cheeks. Kagami was similarly blushing.

‘S-so, we need superhero names. W-what’s yours?’ Marinette enquired.

‘Its Ryuko,’ she replied.

‘And I’m Ladybug!’ Ladybug chirped. ’Lets kick this Akuma’s butt!’


	7. Stoneheart - II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stonehearts and blushes, flushes and butterflies. Plus a little peek into the opposite side : )

**Meanwhile, elsewhere in Paris…**

Nathalie Sancoeur sighed. The short haired assistant was standing in front of her boss Gabriel’s office door. He had asked to meet her, and to bring the files of Project 49. 

Project 49 was a collaboration by top companies and conglomerates, spread across the sectors. It included Gabriel, Livon, the car dealer company, Travelor, the travel agent company, and so on. Even she, the assistant of the CEO of Gabriel, one of the main contributors in the project, didn’t know most of the details of the Project, but it was important enough that Gabriel told nobody, not even HR, about it. Only the heads’ personal assistants knew anything.

She stalked into the room with the files, and stopped when she saw Gabriel looking at a portrait. Her breath caught in her chest as she gazed at the painted form of Emilie Agreste née Graham de Vanily. Her cousin.

Yes, the Sancoeurs and the Graham de Vanilys were cousins, through the sisters Ludmilla Graham de Vanily and Augusta Agreste née Graham de Vanily. 

She cleared her throat and said, ‘Sir, the Project 49 files.’

Gabriel turned around and took the files from her, giving her a minute smile that made her heart flutter. He pressed some buttons on his desk, which made the painting slide into the ground. Feeling his dismissal, she turned to leave when Gabriel said, ‘Wait, Nathalie. Come with me. You have proven your worth, and the Council chose to take you in.’

Her eyes widened. She turned back around and hurried to Gabriel’s side. Gabriel simply moved  _ into _ the doorway created by the painting. It led to a set of stairs that went down. She thought they were going to go to the underground butterfly garden/coffin room, but they went further down. Deep enough that she could hear the nearby subway’s train rattling past.

They came out on a platform. It was attached to some tracks, and the tracks contained a small train cart. It had space for two people at the most. Gabriel, with the ease of a frequent commuter, got into the seat furthest from the platform. She hesitated, then awkwardly climbed into the seat adjacent to him. He pressed a button on the inside of the cart, and they sped off into the darkness.

‘Sir,’ began Nathalie, ‘what about the Akuma?’

Gabriel gave a sharp smile. ‘We’ll let Stoneheart do his job. And Nooroo will sustain him. Won’t you Nooroo?’

A small, pudgy, pink creature popped its head out of his lapel. ‘Yes, M-Master,’ it whimpered, before hiding once more.

**Back to our heroes…** **  
  
**

Ryuko cursed as she sprained her ankle. She stopped on a rooftop and sat down. Ladybug, unsteady, landed next to her with a crash. She sighed, while Ladybug got to her feet and fumed. ‘Why is this so hard?’ she grumbled.

‘I wish I could give you training, but we don’t have time right now. Stoneheart will destroy the city if we don’t stop him. By the way, do you know who got Akumatized into Stoneheart?’

‘Ivan,’ Ladybug breathed out. ‘He’s had this huge crush on Mylène, and wanted to write a song for her, but Chloé found out and ragged on him. Ivan went missing, then Stoneheart burst out of his stall. Ivan is the only possibility.’

Ryuko rubbed a hand on her face. ‘’I swear,’ she growled, ‘that blonde bimbo is more horrible than I thought she was.’ 

Ladybug was blushing at Ryuko’s cursing. ‘L-language, Ryuko!’ She shrugged noncommittally, then jumped to the next rooftop. Ladybug sighed and followed.

Minutes later, Ryuko and Ladybug were standing on the rooftop of a building near the stadium. Inside, Stoneheart raged and crushed. Thankfully it was empty, so no people were harmed.

‘What’s the plan, Ryuko?’ Ladybug asked. Ryuko thought for a moment, then her eyes chilled as she examined the battlefield.

‘Using Wind Dragon, I will blow around and distract Stoneheart. You use your yo-yo to bind his free hand. That will force him to use his other one. I’m guessing he’s holding something there that contains the akuma. Destroy that object, then purify the akuma within. Then use your Miraculous Ladybug to restore everything to how it was earlier.’

Ladybug nodded, mute. 

‘I’m going now,’ Ryuko said, then shouted, ‘Wind Dragon!’ The blue puff of air on her chest glowed, and in a swish of wind, she disappeared.

Moments later, Stoneheart started swinging at the air, batting it. Ladybug swung into action, binding its free hand. It grunted and pulled at her, then freed its other hand. A small purple blur fell to the ground.

Immediately, some air coalesced into Ryuko, who shouted ‘Lightning Dragon!’ and turned to lightning. The sparks struck the little object, and it turned to dust, freeing a purple butterfly.

Ladybug used her yo-yo to catch the akuma in it, then purified it, and let it go.

Stoneheart’s body turned to purple energy and shrunk down, leaving a burly boy, kneeling on the ground. He blinked, then looked around. ‘Wo bin- Where am I?’

Ryuko appeared out of air. She held out a hand to Ivan. ‘Get up,’ she said curtly. Ivan took her hand and got up. Ryuko sighed. ‘What happened, citizen? Why were you akumatized?’

Ivan turned red and rubbed his other arm. Suddenly, the big burly boy looked small. ‘I-um, that is to say...’ He sighed. ‘I-I wrote a song for my crush, but Chloé said it was horrible and that she would never like me.’ He chuckled darkly. ‘Guess I’m a monster after all.’

‘No!’ Ladybug said firmly, and Ivan flinched. She walked to him and held his shoulders. ‘Citizen, it’s never bad to want love. And besides, this Chloé person seems horrible.’ Ryuko raised an eyebrow. Ladybug was doing some seriously convincing acting.

Ivan sniffed. ‘Th-thank you,’ he choked out. ‘Wh-who are you?’

Ladybug and Ryuko smiled, as one, and said, ‘We’re the Guardians of Paris. I’m Ladybug, and this is Ryuko.’ Ryuko gave a short bow. Ivan nodded, then lunged and crushed the both of them in a hug.

‘Thank you so much,’ he whispered. Then he ran out of the stadium, only to be accosted by a bunch of reporters.

Ryuko growled. ‘Paparazzi. Let me handle this,’ she said, then hurried to Ivan’s side.

The reporters were shameless and rude, thrusting their mikes near Ivan and Ryuko.

‘Sir! Sir! What happened?’ one shouted.

Another screamed, ‘Who are you young lady, and why are you cosplaying?’

Ivan seemed to be shrinking in their gazes, until Ryuko snapped. ‘Shut your traps, everyone.’ The reporters immediately shut up.

‘I am Ryuko. My partner Ladybug is inside,’ and then Ladybug swung around, landing in front of Ivan, shielding him.

‘Ryuko,’ she barked. ‘Status?’ 

‘These paparazzi were harassing this civilian here,’ she said smoothly. ‘I was just giving them a piece of my mind.’

Ladybug scowled. ‘You all should be ashamed of yourself, accosting an innocent civilian like that.’ She turned to Ivan. ‘Let me take you home. Give me the address?’

Ivan nodded. Ladybug grabbed him around the waist, then cast her yo-yo and swung away.

The reporters gawped at her then turned to Ryuko. She drew a deep breath.

‘This was an incident of what I call an akumatization. Simply put, a villain uses a person’s negative emotions to turn them into a monster. The person themself is not to blame, but what is to blame is their cause of distress, and the villain. From what I know, some person in this city has got a hold of an artifact that lets them akumatize people. I assure you all that we will catch this person and put them behind bars.’ The reporters, dumbfounded, nodded.

Ryuko jumped away, her sword glittering by her hip. Reporters immediately began to talk into their cameras.

Ryuko reached a back alley, where Ladybug was waiting for her. She sighed, then said, ‘Clear sky,’ just as Ladybug said, ‘Spots off.’ They both transformed and their Kwamis fluttered out. Longg sighed, and looked towards Tikki. ‘Refreshing, wasn’t it?’ Tikki nodded, then sat on Marinette’s shoulder. Marinette herself sighed. ‘How were the paparazzi?’

Ryuko snorted angrily to herself. ‘Bloody hounds, that’s how they were. I had to shout to get them under control.’ She sighed again. ‘This is our life now. Defeat akuma, deal with paparazzi, be tired for the rest of the day, repeat.’ She grimaced. ‘Let’s get back to school.’

Marinette nodded, then led them both out the alley. They headed back to school.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment they entered the school, a harried Ms. Bustier rushed over. ‘Where were you two?’ she asked. Kagami replied, ‘We were hiding in the park, ma’am. Sorry for not informing you.’

Ms Bustier gave both of them a pat-down, then apparently satisfied, led them back up to the classroom. When they entered, there was a gloomy atmosphere that brightened when they entered.

‘Marinette! Kagami!’ screamed Alya, then rushed over and wrapped them in a bear hug. Marinette patted her other friend’s back as she sobbed.

‘I-I was so scared for you! I-I thought...’ she choked, then buried her head in Kagami’s shoulder.

‘We wouldn’t leave you alone with Chloé, Alya, don’t worry,’ Kagami reassured her.

Chloé’s indignant ‘Hey!’ was ignored as Max hurried to Kagami.

‘Are you okay? I have many bandages and some rubbing alcohol, if you need it,’ he fussed. She smiled. ‘I’m fine. No bruises, Max.’

He sighed and headed back to his seat. She followed him, and Marinette sat beside Alya. The school day proceeded normally.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final bell rang and Mr. Newton, their Algebra teacher, dismissed them with a ton of homework. Kagami sighed as she saw that it was raining. Marinette came outside, and groaned. ‘I forgot my umbrella.’ Kagami saw her, hesitated, then brought out her own umbrella.

‘Here,’ she said, handing Marinette her umbrella. Marinette looked at her hand, her cheeks tinged with pink. Kagami smiled and slightly blushed. ‘I don’t mind. You can keep it.’ Marinette hesitantly took the umbrella, and saw as a ruby red car pulled up. Kagami sighed. ‘That’s my cue. Goodbye, Marinette.’ Then she drew close to Marinette. ‘Patrol’s tonight,’ she whispered. ‘Location is on the Eiffel Tower. Time will be after 9:30 pm. Don’t be late.’ Then Kagami hurried to her car, flushing.

She opened the door and got in. Then she said, ‘Tatsu, Destination: Tsurugi Avenue.’

The car drove off to its destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventh chapter of this story. I consider 7 to be a magical number, so thank you all for giving Kudos and subscribing. It warms my heart to see people liking my story, especially in this difficult time.


	8. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a note

Hey guys, its-a me, author.

The next chapter is sorta fighting me, so updates might be slow. Plus school starts up day after tomorrow, so yeah. Please keep patient!


	9. Patrol and Pastries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all. Have fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Kudos to CookieCrumble for beta-ing!

The car stopped in front of Tsurugi Avenue, and Kagami sighed as she got out. She picked up her bag and then walked into the house.

Tomoe was sitting on a beanbag chair, dressed in slacks and a loose top, a look so casual that Kagami had to do a double-take. 

‘I heard the report on TV,’ Tomoe said smoothly. ‘A new hero has appeared in Paris.’ Even though Tomoe was blind, Kagami could feel her gaze boring into her soul. ‘During school hours. What were you thinking, Kagami?’

‘Well, there’s this blonde girl in class, who upset a boy. And he got akumatized, like you said could happen. I recruited a Ladybug, we fought the akuma, purification, then the press.’

Tomoe merely pursed her lips, then said ‘I heard the news broadcast. You did a good job, handling the press. But after a few more battles, you will just have to have a conference. The public does not like to be kept in the dark.’ The corners of her lips quirked upwards slightly. ‘One of the few things I like about Paris.’

Kagami took a deep breath, then addressed the elephant in the room. ‘We’re going to have to stay in Paris permanently, aren’t we.’ It was more of a statement than a question. Tomoe pursed her lips again.

‘Well, now, since you have agreed to protect Paris, we just have to. Besides, I can’t pull you out of school.’

Kagami nodded, then said, ‘Okay. I’m going to my room. Oh, also, Ladybug and I are going to patrol tonight. So I might be gone from 9 till midnight.’

Tomoe sighed. ‘Alright. Anything in particular that you need on coming back?’

‘Nothing. I’ll get up early tomorrow and get to practice.’

She was about to turn and go to her room, then hesitated. ‘Mother, akumas can only be made by someone with the Butterfly Miraculous, right?’ Tomoe grimaced.

‘Yes, but the Peacock can make amoks, feathers that serve basically the same purpose. They can only produce external monsters, so they are easily differentiable.’

Kagami nodded, then headed up to her room.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The time was 7:30 pm, and Agreste Manor was silent. In his office, Gabriel Agreste worked on some designs for the new fashion line, this one based on the Chinese Zodiac. A soft knock on the door startled him slightly, and he straightened his tie as he barked, ‘Come in.’ His assistant Nathalie walked in, and his eyes brightened. ‘Ah, Nathalie, perfect timing. The Council is meeting soon. We should hurry.’

The somewhat tall assistant gulped, then fiddled with a strange pin on her lapel. ‘Are we sure we should do this, sir?’ she asked in a neutral tone, with just a hint of worry and fear. Gabriel simply nodded, then closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were glowing purple. 

‘Hurry, Hearty Peacock,’ he rumbled in a voice not quite his.

She sighed, then closed her eyes. They were bright blue when they opened again. ‘As you wish, Grieving Butterfly.’ she intoned in the same rumbly voice. Both strutted over to the platform and descended.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The time was 8:30 pm, and Ryuko perched on one of the bars of the Eiffel Tower. She’d wanted to take in the view and be there to greet Ladybug. She looked over Paris once more, taking in the view, and noting the various alleys she could see from here. In her mind, she traced a map of possible escape routes a criminal could take if chased, and possible hiding places for them to detransform. She cursed her mind for not remembering to bring along some paper and a pen to sketch out routes, or better yet, a map of the city.

Half an hour ticked by, and she noticed a faint glow on the horizon. She jumped over the rooftops, and found a fire. With a shout of ‘Water Dragon!’ she doused the flames, then transformed back into Ryuko and vaulted over to Eiffel Tower once more.

Quarter of an hour later, she was tapping her foot in wait. While she waited, she did some practice with the sword, idly doing the drills she normally did. As she was on her fifth set, she saw a red blur speeding across the rooftops, then sighed and sat in anticipation.

Soon, Ladybug was beside her, panting. ‘Never thought parkour would be this refreshing.’ Ryuko snorted. ‘That’s the suit - and probably Tikki - talking. Kwamis don’t do physical activity much, so even mild jogging can help matters with them.’

Ryuko stretched, then looked at Ladybug. ‘Okay, so I haven’t been out on patrol yet, but I have some idea how to go about this. We make three rounds over the rooftops of Paris, and if we find any criminals, we tie them up and let the police take care of them. Then after three rounds, a fifteen minute break, then three rounds more. We do this until midnight, then we retire for the night. Understood?’ Ladybug nodded, bemused. 

‘Right, then. Lets go. Wind Dragon!’ she shouted, then vanished into the air. She made sure to buffet around Ladybug so that she knew. Ladybug jumped, eeped, then leapt across the rooftops.

Two rounds later, they sat on a rooftop, overlooking a band of misfits. They shifted and looked around, obviously about to break into the building. Ladybug sighed. ‘So these are the people breaking into the bakery at night,’ she murmured. ‘Never thought I’d catch them in the act.’

Ryuko looked at her in surprise. ‘Your family has bakers?’ She nodded. 

‘Papa and Maman run the bakery. Sometimes I help, but what I want to be is a fashion designer.’ She shrugged. ‘Remind me to have you over sometime,’ she murmured. Then she stood up. ‘Now, how do we bind these hooligans?’

Ryuko shook away the slight flush that overcame her face, then looked down at the misfits, currently eating a croissant from the display case. Her eyes narrowed. ‘How about a little lightning,’ she mumbled. Ladybug gave her a nod, and she whispered, ‘Lightning Dragon!’ then vanished.

Suddenly, a storm brewed, and a flash of lightning struck the road. The misfits cried out, and tried to run away, only to see the road in front of them struck by lightning. Ladybug dropped down, eyes cold. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ she growled. 

One of them held up a tazer with shaky hands. ‘Who...who the hell do you think you are? And why the hell are you cosplaying at this time?’

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed, then she used her yo-yo to knock out each of them. They fell to the ground, unconscious. Ryuko manifested, frowning. ‘Was knocking them out necessary?’

Ladybug shrugged. ‘They’ve been stealing Papa’s important orders for weeks. I think they deserve some rest. There’s some rope behind the bakery. Get that, and I’ll tie these thieves up.’ Ryuko slowly walked away, keeping an eye on Ladybug to see if she started whaling on the five criminals. She got the rope, then speedwalked to the front. Ladybug was keeping guard and tied them up. Then she jumped up on the rooftop. Ryuko took a moment to duck into an alley and feed Longg, before transforming again. She jumped up to the roof only to see Ladybug jumping away. She snorted and followed.

A few more rounds passed without incident, and soon it was 11:50. Ryuko nodded a farewell to Ladybug, then sped away to her own house. When she reached it, it was midnight, and she detransformed and fell into bed.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She arrived at school just in time to see Adrien frantically apologising to an irate Marinette, while Max recorded the ordeal with his camera. Just kidding, he was reading a book. Chloe was painting her nails, and everybody else was doing their own thing, except Sabrina, who was talking to Chloe about something about fashion.

‘Even if you didn’t put the gum there, you could’ve stopped Chloe, but you didn’t,’ Marinette hissed. Adrien winced as if hurt.

‘C-come now, Marinette, I tried to get it off!’ Marinette shook her head. 

‘Do or do not, there is no try, Adrien,’ she said simply, then stalked over to Alya. Kagami just sat, and sent a pitying look to Adrien. 

Then Ms Bustier walked in, and school started.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Far from Paris, in the forests of Albania, a mysterious figure stirred. Two glowing white eyes snapped open, as a sinister, sharp smile made its way to the light. It was a horrid face, floating there. Somehow, it spoke, ‘Our time has come. Let us bond together, brethren.’ Two smoky tendrils of black and red slithered out of the trees.

The face was grabbed by the red tendril, which resolved into a red, liquidy humanoid figure. The black tendril violently exploded, covering the humanoid figure in black goo.

Then there was silence. 

A deer ambled into the clearing, and the humanoid figure’s hollow eyes took on the shape of a deer’s eyes, as it opened its gaping maw and swallowed the deer whole. As the deer entered its mouth, it shrank until it resolved into a man with the head of a deer and the legs of a goat. Its features defined, and it screeched a laugh. 

It exuded such a sheer feeling of dread that the trees seemed to lean away from it, and a cloud blotted out the sun. The forest grew quiet around it, as it screeched its laugh to the clouded heavens.


	10. Taking a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a real life update from me

Hey guys, an update from me, your friendly neighborhood author.

So, these past few weeks - months really - have been very hard. I haven't been able to find time to write the newest chapter, and if I do, I end up with more plot holes than I want. So, instead of pushing myself and giving you half baked chapters, I've decided to take a break.

It will be tough for me, but once I find the inspiration, you can bet your beautiful face that I will churn out chapters.

See ya soon,  
Love,   
wtfjusthappened (Foxxy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take into consideration that I've been trying very hard to write the chapter. Please do not inundate my private messages with insults. It really hurts.


	11. Lil note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An itty bitty note

Hey! I forgot to do this, but if you want to meet me online ~~and/or scream at me to update~~ , you can visit the Miraculous Fanworks Discord! I'm putting the link down there. Don't forget to make a discord username if you don't have one! 

https://discord.gg/93P8dsv

Join if you want to! I'll post regular/semi regular updates!


	12. This is goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A final word

Hey guys, its been long.

So, after some self reflection, I've realised that my writing style is more inclined towards oneshots and prompt-fulfilments. 

In light of this, I am putting this story up for adoption. Whoever would like to take over this fic, please contact me through Discord.

Goodbye, readers.


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